Illuminated drinking glass



Nov. 28, 1950 M. E. MOORE 2,532,181

ILLUMINATED'DRINKING GLASS Filed Oct. 23, 1947 IN V EN TOR.

17f a'ZZ'an E z/foara BY m Patented Nov. 28, 1950 UN}! TED STATES OFFICE 1 r Claim. "1

The present invention relates to improvements in illuminated drinking glass and more particuilarlyarelates to a liquonwcocktail, wine-glasspor the like in whichprovisi'onismade fOllillllmiIli-tll- :ing the glass bowl and its contents :to produce a novel and attractive effect.

Anobiect. of the invention is to provide a self- "contained drinking glass embodying an electric lamp and battery in the stem thereof so related to the'translucent bowl that the lampwill focus .itszrays through-the bowl and through 'the contents thereof .torgivea visual vitality to the glass and to'thecontents andto enhance the charm of imbibinglfrom such a receptacle.

A further object of the invention resides in providing 'a separable glass :bowl and stand or stem in which bowls :of various sizes and shapes and for differential uses may be. interchangeably mounted in the same stem in which is installed an electric lampandbattery with the lam so arranged that the same is normally dark and the circuit interrupted .but upon the fitting of a bowl to the stem such bowl :is so 'IG1Ettdht0 the lamp as tocause the same to .become;il1uminated by closing of the circuit.

Astill further. object of the inventionxis .totprevide a glass bowl ofa :novel construction adapted to coopcratelwith a. novel form of stem which permits the bowl to be detachable from lthecrstem and which when in place in the stem enforces a slidable electric lamp and reflector 513013. closed position incircuit witha battery removably carried within ISLlCh stem.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described :hereinafter and more particularly pointed (01 .13 in the appended claim.

In the drawings, in which like parts aredcnoted bythe same reference characters throughout the several views,

Figure l is .a side'elevational View of an improved illuminated drinking glass constructed in accordance with the present invention and with the stem and base shown in section with the parts assembled and the lamp illuminated;

FigureZ is a similar yiewwithaportion of the bowl broken away and with the bowl and-stem separated and the lamp circuit-open:

Figure 3 isa bottomplan view of thebase with the cover in the open .positionyand Figure 1 is an it exploded isometric view of the electric lamp, reflector andspring unit.

Referring more particularlyto the drawings, H designates a glass bowl or other receptacle, the same. being representative of liquor, cocktail or other conventional forms of drinking vessels of whicha-variety may be provided to cooperate withthe improved stem ashereinafter described.

The glass bowl i0 is made with adepending nub H having a rounded lower and i2 and formed wi'th anannular bead or outstanding ridge I 3.

I his nub l l is adaptedto be detachably received into the upper end of a hollow stem M "which together with a base [5 is metallic and. may "be ornamented externally inany suitable manner;

for instance,-the samemay bechromium plated.

A downturned marginal base fiange -16 enables the base to rest upon the table or othersupport so that a slide cover i l may be accommodated below the baseand in the space circumscribed by the annular flange it. This slide cover, shown more particularly inFigure 3, is mounted upon a pivot i8 secured'to the base whereby the cover may be rotatedback and "forth between the positions shown in Figures land 3 to cover and open the lower end-of the hollow stem M for the purpose of introducing a dry cell orbattery I9 thereinto and of removing such battery for replace ment when the same has been exhausted.

The cover i! also forms an abutment for the lowerend of a base coil spring 26 which is interposedkbetween the cover 11 and the lower end of the battery illfor the purposeof urging this battery yieldingly upwards within the hollow stem 14.

An electric lamp 2: having a screw base 22 and a lamp contact 23 is'a'dapted to. be screwed into and outof a threaded socketM made in an elliptical reflector 25 havinga reflector shift 26 made somewhat after the fashion of a piston skirt, the same "being fitted to reciprocate up and down "in the hell-ow stem M. Below the re-- fiector 25 is placed a lamp coil-spring 21. The convolutions of the helix z'i progress from a narrowest convolution at the lower end of the coil 2? which is adapted to fitabout a top-terminal 2B of the batery is in a progressivel expanding series of widening convolutions up to the topwidest convolution v'rhich fits firmly into the angle between the reflector Zii and its skirt 26. An inwardly-pressed bead 33 of the stem M acts as a stop to restrict the upward movement of the lamp and reflector unit under the urging of the spring '21.

Thebead 33 15 spaced below theupper open end of the stem iii about which are arranged upstanding .spring fingers separated for ease in independent inner and r outer movement by :slots en. The outer portionsiof the fingersare "formed into fiaring tips 3| -and inwardly-"of these tips the fingers are formed with outwardly-curved clamp sockets 32 of a pattern matching the bead I3 of the nub H.

In the use of the device, before the bowl II] is aflixed to the stem I 4, the latter is reversed to the position shown in Figure 3 and the cover I! rotated to the open position in which the internal space of the hollow stem 14 is exposed to receive the lamp and reflector unit and its spring 2'! followed by the loading of the battery I 9 thereinto with the terminal 28 of the battery entered first and followed by the introduction of the coil spring 20. The cover I! is then rotated to a closed position where it may be maintained by the frictional fit of the rivet or pivot Hi.

The stem is thereupon returned to the upright position and the parts will be revealed to have assumed the position shown in Figure 2 where the contacts 23 and 28 are separated and the circuit from the battery It to the lamp 2i interrupted. In other words the lamp spring 2'! reacting against the upper end of the battery I9 has raised the reflector and lamp unit to the uppermost position against the stop 33. The load of the base coil spring as is so selected that it will not overpower the lamp spring 2'! otherwise such base spring 28 would move the battery at all times up until the Contact 28 thereof encountered the lamp contact 23. The coil spring 26 further serves as an electrical connection between the lower part or terminal or case of the battery IS, the metallic base 15, stem is and the metallic skirt 26, reflector 25 and lamp base 22, thus completing the circuit to the lamp 2i.

The lamp 25 is thus normally dark but such lamp 2! is exposed through the upper end of the hollow stem M to the rounded lower end I; of the bowl nub II whereby when such nub H is moved down into the stem the curved nub end I2 will encounter the lamp 2! and shift the lamp I unit including the reflection and skirt 26 downwardly, compressing the spring Zl until the lamp contact 23 has engaged the battery contact 25 whereupon the circuit will be closed and. the lamp 2i illuminated. The parts are so related that when the lamp contact 23 shall have descended the necessary distance to engage the battery con tact 28 the rib I3 oi the nub II, which has been riding down the flared tips 3! and springing the fingers 29 outwardly, will have arrived opposite the sockets 32 which will thereupon close upon the rib l3' and lock the bowl Ill to the stem I 4 and lock the lamp 2! in closed circuit. Thus the lamp will be illuminated at all times while the bowl I is connected to the stem. But as soon as the bowl is removed from the stem by applying slight pressure in opposite directions to the bowl and stem suflicient to spring the fingers outwardly over the rib I3 during which the lower nub end !2 moves upward away from the lamp bulb 2!, the lamp spring 21 is free to shift the lamp upwardly thus opening the contacts 23 and 28 and the lamp is extinguished.

If there should be any slight discrepancies in the dimensions of the parts so that the relationship just referred to is disturbed, the base coil spring will compensate for an such differences. If, for instance, the rib I3 is still above the sockets 32 when the contact 23 descends against contact 28 and it becomes necessary to move the nub H down still further before interlocking engagement can occur between the spring fingers 29 and the nub Ii, the base spring 28 will allow this further descending movement. This spring 20 therefore acts not only in an electrical 4 capacity but also as a compensating spring and furthermore tends to maintain a certain tightness of the loaded units in the hollow stem M to prevent undesirable rattling noises in the handle of the glass.

The nub II being hollow and made of glass or some other translucent material and receiving the liquid and the direct rays of the light from the lamp 2! acts to enhance the illumination and the effect thereof when viewed from above. Moreover the internal wall of the stem I4 above the stop 33 may be highly polished to act as a light reflector to further increase the illuminating effect by rays extending crosswise of th included nub H.

The reflector 25 co-acts with the polished internal wall of the stem I4, with the rounded lower end [2 of the nub l l and generally with the nub to further promote the lighting effects. This refiector also serves not only to increase the amount of light reflected but it serves as a socket for holding the bulb steady. The spring fingers also limit the depth to which the nub ll of the bowl may be inserted downwardly in the stem I4 and fixes the proper point for contact with the bulb and prevents too violent contact and breakage to bulb and hub. The ridge [3 snaps into and out of the socket 32 with the application of a little force.

When assembled and filled with any beverage, and particularly a colored beverage, the small bulb is lighted by the battery and the light is reflected by the reflector through the beverage which also reflects and refracts the light creating a beautiful and pleasing eiiect.

It will be appreciated that the present invention provides an electrically lighted beverage glass which is completely self-contained and independent of any outside wiring or contacts and that the glass is a novelt which is both practical and attractive.

The invention also provides for an economical replacement of the breakable glass parts. For instance heretofore When a drinking glass is broken the entire glass including the integral stem must be discarded. With the present invention the stem and base are permanent and unbreakable and they receive any form of bowl which if broken can be replaced at small cost.

It will be noted that the battery I9 floats between the lower and the upper springs 20 and 2'! and thus these springs in this relation tend to a more eflicient contact and at the same time reduce breakage.

The invention permits the stem to be made of metal or other suitable material while the bowl is made of glass, thus permitting an attractive ornamented stem not possible in glassware. Also the stem is stronger and the combination of the two component parts is most pleasant and attractive.

While I have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known to me at the present time, I desire it to be understood that I reserve the right to make changes and modifications in the herein described embodiment of the invention provided such changes fall within the scope of the following claim.

What I claim is:

An illuminated drinking glass consisting of a first and second body members, said first body member comprising a base, a hollow stem carried normal to said base, a battery therein, upper and lower springs in said stem at opposite ends of said battery for floatingly carrying said battery, a lamp and reflector unit in said stem above said battery and being separated therefrom by said upper spring, said stem being crimped at its upper portion to prohibit the withdrawal of said lamp and unit from the upper end, a disc like cover pivoted to the base of said stem to permit the introduction of said battery into said stem, an annular clip carried by the upper end of said stem and having an outwardly flaring mouth and receptacle socket, said second body member comprising a glass bowl having a projection extending from the outer base thereof and terminating in a semi-spherical head, and an annular head and being receivable within the socket of said outwardly flaring mouth whereb upon insertion therein said spherical head will contact said lamp and reflector unit and upon the seating of the annular bead in said receptacle socket the lamp will contact the battery completing the circuit and lighting the same.

MILTON E. MOORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,129,602 Polland Feb. 23, 1915 1,144,201 Hipwell June 22, 1915 1,875,048 Levene Aug. 30, 1932 2,177,337 Stein Oct. 24, 1939 2,224,319 Schroyer Dec. 10, 1940 2,261,320 Williams Nov, 4, 1941 2,292,242 Sagona Aug. 4, 1942 2,314,521 Schwartz Mar. 23, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 651,577 Germany Oct. 15, 1937 701,798 Germany Jan. 23, 1941 

